


Partners

by nanjatte



Series: V no Arashi [1]
Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-07
Updated: 2016-03-07
Packaged: 2018-07-15 05:52:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7210586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nanjatte/pseuds/nanjatte
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Their rivalry continues.. Or maybe..? (i still suck at summary!!!!)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Partners

It was mid-summer. The weather was hot as hell. The newly formed boys volleyball team was practicing for their first match this fall. Unfortunately, not all the members were in the mood to practice.

Ninomiya searched for their missing member.  
"You guys continue, Sakurai-kun is probably at his usual place"  
"Good luck finding him, oh and persuading him of course," said Ohno with somehow a lack of energy.

They're in their second year of high school. Their respected senior, Aiba Masaki just graduated in spring this year without seeing them compete in any tournament. That was probably why Ninomiya's more fired up to practice than usual. He wanted to present their best performance for Aiba-senpai.

"I knew it.." Ninomiya arrived at the school's roof found the boy he was searching.  
"What do you think you're doing?" Said Ninomiya while catching a breath after those long stairs.  
Sakurai glanced the latter, paused his hand movement.  
"You can see I'm in the middle of my break, enjoying a great book. And guess what, you just interrupted my most peaceful time."

The boys volleyball team was indeed formed. But that didn't mean all the members were getting along. Especially, Ninomiya Kazunari and Sakurai Sho. Their rivalry was already famous since the beginning. It started from getting a girl they both like to their performance in the volley. Until one day Aiba-senpai decided Ninomiya as a setter for the team and he had to bring the best of their team's ace, the attacker, Sakurai.

Closed the book he was reading, Sakurai got up to avoid another endless quarrel.  
"We all know you're the best among us, but that doesn't mean you're allowed to miss the practice." Ninomiya firmed his tone while playing with the volleyball he brought along.  
"I'm sorry, but aren't you doing the same thing right now being here with me?" Sakurai raised an eyebrow challenging the other.  
"Oh, you--"  
"Just stop, I'm so not in the mood for your babbling"  
Sakurai took steps passed Ninomiya. The other grab his left arm.  
"Look, i just want to give the best performance for Aiba-senpai. He's the reason we could be here right now. And you, you knew him long before me, don't you want to give back something to him? I'm a setter right now and I need the ace so I could be a better one."  
Ninomiya spoke with a softer tone, he lost his grip, Sakurai was now looking at him surprised.  
"Are you ill? You, need me? You?"  
A little flustered Ninomiya turned his back not making an eye contact.  
"I am not letting my pride to hold the team and you should too."  
Sakurai smirked with amused feel. He stole the ball Ninomiya was holding and gave a pass. Ninomiya took a distance to receive the ball. They did a rally and Sakurai spoke up.  
"You know, I was moved by your words."  
"Uh huh? I really should take credit for that."  
"I'm serious. I was climbing down the stairs and overheard you, Ohno and Matsumoto talked."  
Ninomiya gulped.  
"Matsumoto was ready to reject me from the team that time, not that I really care about either. But you said to him that I was in a hard position too. So, I just want to thank you for that. It kind of changed my mind to help you guys at that time."  
Ninomiya froze by his sentence, didn't realize a high ball was falling right onto his nose.  
"Ouch!!"  
"Ninomiya!" Sakurai ran towards the other.  
"Are you alright?" Ninomiya was already holding his red nose and he could see a fresh blood dripping.  
"I guess not," Ninomiya said still hissing from the pain it caused.  
Sakurai pulled out his handkerchief and hold it to Ninomiya's injured nose.  
Ninomiya finally rose his head to get a clearer sight and to stop the bleeding. He didn't expect to found an unfamiliar expression Sakurai made right now. It was a worried face but also gentle. He cursed himself as his heart beat a little faster because of that. He moved a little to take a space, the last time they were this close was their fight in front of the convenient store.  
"I.. I'm alright. It's just a nosebleed." Ninomiya stood up but fail terribly.  
Luckily Sakurai was fast enough to hold his waist to support him.  
"Yeah, right. We're going to the school nurse now and I'm going to help you." Sakurai held his teammate and took him to the needed place.

"Excuse me." Sakurai opened the health room door, his other hand still holding tight his teammate.  
"Come in!" Tachibana-sensei answered with a smile.  
"Sensei! Please, Ninomiya need your help! His nose--" Sakurai trembled a little.  
"Sakurai-kun? Calm down lay him here." Tachibana-sensei pointed the empty bed and helped Sakurai to rest Ninomiya on.  
"Ninomiya-kun? How are you feeling?" Tachibana-sensei took a seat beside her patient, Sakurai followed.  
"Just a little dizzy, sensei. Oh and my nose is painful as hell." Ninomiya said still holding the given handkerchief to his bleeding nose.  
"Let me see," Tachibana-sensei slowly open his hold and smiled, "This is totally fine, you just need to rest, I'll take care the wound, don't you worry, your nose is not entirely broken it will be better in a week."  
"A week?! But, I have practice to tend to! And-- Ouch!" Ninomiya got up furiously but quickly held his own head.  
"Will you let me finish?" Sakurai helped Ninomiya to lay down, again, slowly. "The not-so-broken nose needs a week to get better, but that doesn't mean you have to rest on your bed. You can continue your activities normally, but right now you need a rest because the loss blood earlier. Do you understand?" Ninomiya nodded a little still feeling the pain which become less thanks to this beautiful sensei who Ohno had a crush on.  
"Now, I have something to do so I need to leave for a moment." She glanced at Sakurai. "You can leave him here if you want, let him rest for a bit."  
"It's okay sensei, I'll wait here. He will probably going to need something." Sakurai stayed still on his seat beside Ninomiya's bed.

Tachibana-sensei left with a sound of a closed slide door.  
"Sakurai-kun, you don't need to wait here. It's better you go to the practice. The team is waiting for you, you know." Ninomiya sounds tired with a nose-voice like he was catching a flu.  
"Hey, it's okay. This is my fault after all. I didn't measure the ball's jump and you ended up like this."  
"No, it's definitely not. To be honest, I was a little distracted and didn't see the ball came." Once again, Ninomiya avoided an eye contact.  
"Distracted? With what?" Ninomiya's words and behavior picked his curiosity.  
"Erm, well…" He cleared his throat. "What you said earlier, I didn't think a simple words can change people. Especially a hard-headed like you." Ninomiya threw back his glance and punch Sakurai's arm lightly.  
Sakurai caught his left hand, hold it gently. "I guess even people like me have a switch to make them change." He added with a smile and Ninomiya hoped the other didn't see his face was becoming red.

"I wanted to talk to you about Miwa-chan." still held Ninomiya's hand, Sakurai turned to his serious tone.  
Aiba Miwa. Ninomiya's crush which become the reason he loves volleyball. She is also a close friend of Sakurai since their junior high and not long after their encounter he found out that Sakurai also had a feeling about her.  
"Promise me you will make her happy." Ninomiya pulled his hand, answered with a confidence somehow.  
"Whoa, what's with you and not letting the other finished their sentence?" Sakurai chuckled. Ninomiya slapped himself mentally because he thought Sakurai was so cute for a moment.  
"Wait, you're going to talk about our crush on her right?"  
"Indeed, but I didn't mean to be with her."  
"What are you talking about? Don't you like her.. What? Since junior high?"  
"I did like her, but I guess I finally found someone much better." Sakurai stared at him. Ninomiya's heart was pounding faster again, he still didn't understand what is this exactly.  
"Oh, you did? I guess I finally can be with her for good, huh." Said Ninomiya with a poor fake laughed.  
"Yeah, you're a bad liar. You love volley more than her right now." Ninomiya still can't stand that mocking smirk he always did.  
"I'm sorry but I throw the same words to you, volley-head. What's with those volley books you read on the roof? You found someone? Right…" Ninomiya didn't want to lose even though he's laying on a bed.  
"Pay attention much, huh, Ninomiya-kun." Still smirking, Sakurai got his win. Ninomiya froze again with the way Sakurai called him. He never used honorific to him before.

"Ninomiya-kun!!" Matsumoto barged in with Ohno.  
"Hey, guys!" Ninomiya silently thank them to help him escape Sakurai's … whatever he was doing to him just a second ago.  
"Are you really okay? We're not gonna lose you on our first match, right? You're our only setter!" Matsumoto again with his panic state.  
"Calm down, I'm not that bad, it's just the nose, I'll join the practice tomorrow." Ninomiya answered with a weak smile, he got a relief sigh from Ohno and Matsumoto.  
"So you succeed in persuading Sakurai-kun I guess." Ohno's tone was a little cold.  
"He did. I promise I'll join the practice start tomorrow and make this fellow the best setter for our team." Sakurai got up and rustled Ninomiya's hair. "I'll leave first, see you tomorrow."

Matsumoto and Ohno stared blankly watched their ace left.  
"Did you poisoned him with something?" of course it's Matsumoto who reacted first.  
"if I could slap you on the head, I would do it right now." Ninomiya glared him still trying to set his hair to its earlier state.  
Ohno was in complete lost.  
Matsumoto was murmuring many theories about maybe Sakurai got a girlfriend or probably win a lottery since he's in a good mood.  
Ninomiya could only hold his now beating-fast heart.


End file.
